Portable shelter

ABSTRACT

A free-standing portable, sphere-segment-shaped, shelter is made from basically three types of components; initially straight resilient rods, joining members and, of course, a cover. The rods are bent into arcs within their elastic limit so that two circles are formed and these are separated and a dome provided by other initially straight rods similarly bent elastically; a top joining member in the form of a circular plate can have a central hole to provide ventilation and an outlet for a stovepipe.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Peter Gorgichuk 108 McNaughtonStreet, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada [21 Appl. No. 50,688

[22] Filed June 29, 1970 [45] Patented Dec. 7, 1971 [32] Priority July3, 1969 [3 3 Canada 54] PORTABLE SHELTER 2,661,010 12/1953 Powers et a12,690,185 9/1954 Pomykala... 3,039,478 6/1962 Timmons....

3,114,377 12/1963 Clement Primary Examiner- Kenneth DowneyAttorney-Stevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher 8/1966 Holbitz..

135/3 R 135/3 R 135/3 R 135/3 R 135/3 R ABSTRACT: A free-standingportable, sphere-segmentshaped, shelter is made from basically threetypes of components; initially straight resilient rods, joining membersand,

almssnrawing Figs of course, a cover. The rods are bent into arcs withintheir [52] U.S.Cl 135/1, elastic limit so that two circles are formedand these are 135/3 separated and a dome provided by other initiallystraight rods 1] Int. Cl A! 1/00 similarly bent elastically; a topjoining member in the form fa Field ofSearch 135/1, 3, 4, circular latecan have a central hole to provide ventilation 5, 7.1; 52/81, 82 and anoutlet for a stovepipe.

a 3 2 \Q l r \g 34 5 t 57 5 l6 10 A 5% 3 e 31 PORTABLE SHELTER Thisinvention relates to the field of portable shelters generally and inparticular to a shelter which is curvilinear approaching a sphericalshape and yet may be completely dismantled with its component parts inthe manner of a tent.

As is well known, tents are bonded by edges which are straight, orapproximately so, allowing for sag of ropes. Thus, tents genericallypresent large flat areas to the elements. which makes them unsuitable inrough weather; high wind causes the canvas to flap and billow like asail; much of the floor area is not convenient to use due to centralsupports or low sidewalls (unless elaborate construction is used) and asthe ratio of surface area to enclosed volume is high, they are difficultto heat and are warm-weather or tourist devices.

Many portable shelters of generally curvilinear shape have beenproposed. These fall into two main classes which may be graphically (ifnot quite accurately) described as the umbrella" type and the stressedskin type. The umbrella type has pin joints with the attendantdisadvantages that it cannot be completely dismantled; also of course itis expensive and more easily damaged; U.S. Pat. No. 3,039,478 andCanadian Pat. No. 644,662 illustrates this kind of construction. In thestressed skin" type the structure can be dismantled but it relies uponthe shape of the cover or sockets in the floor portion of the cover tolocate the frame members and hence to bend them to the desired shape;U.S. Pat. No. 2,948,287 and Canadian Pat. No. 681,598 illustrate thistype. This classification is approximate and for illustrative purposesonly, since, as umbrella covers are stressed, there is obviously overlapbetween the two types. in one interesting US. Pat. No. 3,269,398 theground is used to maintain the stability of the framework which wouldotherwise spring open.

In contrast to these devices, I have found that a free-standingcurvilinear three-dimensional frame can be made whose only componentscomprise straight, resilient elongated members cut to suitable lengthsand joint members adapted to receive these straight resilient members. Ihave also found that a suitable arrangement of these components withcorrectly chosen lengths results, with a cover, in an enclosed spaceresembling a major segment of a sphere so as to give adequate headroomabove almost the entire floor area. By yet a further step. a largecenterpiece at the top of the structure is provided to accommodate andoutlet for a stovepipe so that the covered structure may be used for icefishing.

My invention will be more easily understood by reference to the attacheddrawing in wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment incorporating all detailsof the invention with the cover partly removed;

F IG. 2 is a view of an upper junction of four rods;

FIG. 3 is a view of a lower junction of three rods showing that thejoint block retains the cover by a pocket.

in FIG. 1 the framework is indicated generally as 10. This structure isindependent of the cover 12 in the sense that the framework does notrely for its integrity or stability on the cover but it is complete initself. The construction of the cover, 12, will therefore be describedlater.

The framework comprises basically a multiplicity of two simple types ofcomponent-resilient members and joint members-it being fully understoodthat the quantity of each component, their materials and dimensions (andby dimensions 1 means cross-sectional areas, shapes and lengths) beloware by way of example only and that changes even quite extensivechanges, may be made by those skilled in the art.

Thus, I prefer the resilient members to be all of solid round 3/l6-inchdiameter spring steel rod, suitably treated to avoid rust. However,other resilient materials such as glass-reinforced polyester are alsosuitable for the framework. One series of eight such rods 21 through 28are formed into a lower circle, generally indicated at 20, with eighthardwood block joining members 14. With 3/ l 6-inch stock spring steel,a convenient length for each rod is 48 inches and thus with eight rodsround the periphery. the base diameter is ID feet. The hardwood blocks14 are 2 inches wide by 3 inches tall by onehalf of l inch thick, theholes being drilled three-sixteenths inch which allowing for thecompression of the wood and the moisture absorption outdoors gives apress fit with the rods. I prefer not to drill the holes right throughas this gives a positive location for each end of each rod.

A second series of eight resilient rods 31 through 38 are formed into anupper circle generally indicated at 30, again with eight hardwood blockjoining members 16 each of which has four holes to accommodate tow pairsof rods. I prefer to make each rod 31 through 38 44 inches long whenusing 3/ l 6- inch spring steel stock to give me a diameter of a littleover 9 feetfor reasons which will appear in the next paragraph.incidentally, I prefer to make blocks 14 with only three holes ratherthan make blocks 14 and 16 interchangeable; the empty hole tends to fillwith dirt and the lower surface becomes abraded gradually destroying theinitial interchangeability.

The reason I choose these lengths is that l find it convenient to adopta construction in which the two series of eight resilient rods in thevertical plane (that is the lower series of 41 through 48 and the upperseries of 51 through 58) are both 5 feet long. This enables the rods tobe distinguished easily; also the maximum diameter of the structureoccurs above the base; this latter means that a man of average heightcan stand upright over a larger portion of the base area. Circle 30 alsoadds to the stability of the framework.

The lower series of eight S-foot long rods 41 through 48 (44 beinghidden by the stovepipe 64 and 46 and 47 by the cover) require nofurther description but the upper series converge onto and have theirends remote from circle 30 accommodated in top plate 60 which is of%-inch thick plywood 12- inch diameter. When these rods are properly inposition in their l-inch deep holes in top plate 60, the height of thetop plate about ground level is 6 feet, 9 inches.

The top plate 60, itself serves two purposes; firstly it is a singlepiece ensuring that all rods are of a convenient length (since otherwiseit would be possible to combine diametrically opposite rods such as 51and 55 to make four unwieldly rods or else have single block-type jointswith shorter pieces) and secondly a 4stove diameter hole 62 accommodatesstovepipe 64 from the heating stove 66. It will be fully understood thathole 62 is a clearance hole and the stovepipe does not support the topplate 60.

The cover 12 requires little comment; I prefer to stitch eight nylonpanels in the shape of truncated ogives together with alternate panelsbeing in contrasting colors, providing a 2-inch double thickness aroundthe base; I also provide eight pockets, 72, as shown in FIG. 3. Hardwoodblock joints 14 hold the cover on the frame in high winds, the framebeing anchored by 10-inch spiral nails. Due to the flexibility of theresilient members 41-48 such a cover will slip over the structure eventhough the cover base periphery is smaller than the maximum horizontaloctagon formed by these rods. Two slide closures (commonly called zipfasteners) 68 and 70, 6 feet long and 2 feet long respectively, areprovided for easy access to the interior.

With the above materials and dimensions the tent frame and cover can beaccommodated in a bag 6 feet long by about 9 inches in diameter(flattened locally to accommodate top plate 60) and weights about 25pounds. The number of joints is not critical but if reduced, either thestructure becomes too small or the rods become too long and inconvenientfor long portages. Incidentally, I prefer to leave the blocks l4, 16 onrods 41-48 when dismantling the shelter as it hastens reassembly andinhibits loss of joint blocks.

lclaim:

1. A portable free-standing dismantleable curvilinear frame formed ofrectilinear components comprising:

a multiplicity of initially straight resilient rods,

a first multiplicity of joining members having cavities, the cavitiesand resilient rods being adapted so that two rods before bending arecollinear and another rod before bending is at right angles to the twocollinear rods,

a second multiplicity of joining members having cavities, the cavitiesand resilient rods being adapted so that two rods, before bending arecollinear and another two rods, before bending are also collinear but atright angles to the first two rods,

the first multiplicity of joining members and a first series of themultiplicity of resilient rods comprising two collinear rods being bentto form an endless closed curved approximating a circle in one plane,

the second multiplicity of joining members and a second series of themultiplicity of resilient rods comprising two collinear rods being bentto form an endless closed curve approximating a circle in a secondplane,

the planes of the first and second closed curves being spaced apart by athird series of resilient rods having ends engaging the first and secondseries of joining members each resilient rod in the third series havingan outwardly bowed arcuate shape, and

a fourth series of rods being in a plurality of planes at right anglesto said second plane and on the same side thereof and formed into aplurality of arcuate sections, the end of the arcuate sectionsterminating in the joining members of the second series, so that all theresilient rods lie on the surface of a spheroid whose largest crosssection lies between the first and second planes.

2. A frame as claimed in claim 1 in which the resilient members of thefirst and second closed curves are of substantially the same length, andthe first and second planes are separated by a distance approximatinghalf the diameter of the endless closed curves so that all the resilientrods lie on the surface of a spheroid whose largest cross section liesapproximately half way between the first and second planes.

3. A shelter comprising a frame as claimed in claim 1 and having anintegument thereover.

4. A shelter comprising a frame as claimed in claim 2 and having anintegument thereover.

5. A portable free-standing dismantleable curvilinear shelter formed ofrectilinear components comprising:

a multiplicity of initially straight resilient rods,

a first multiplicity of joining members having cavities, the cavitiesand resilient rods being adapted so that two rods before bending arecollinear and another rod before bending is at right angles to the twocollinear rods,

a second multiplicity-of joining members having cavities, the cavitiesand resilient rods being adapted so that two rods, before bending arecollinear and another two rods, before bending are also collinear but atright angles to the first two rods,

the first multiplicity of joining members and a first series of themultiplicity of resilient rods comprising two collinear rods being bentto form an endless closed curve approximating a circle in one plane,

the second multiplicity of joining members and a second series of themultiplicity of resilient rods comprising two collinear rods being bentto form an endless closed curve approximating a circle in a secondplane,

the planes of the first and second closed curves being spaced apart by athird series of resilient rods having ends engaging the first and secondseries of joining members, each resilient rod in the third series havingan outwardly bowed arcuate shape,

a top plate member having appreciable thickness and a series of lateralholes accommodated in the thickness,

a fourth series of resilient rods each formed into an arcuate sectionand having one end located at the joining member of the second endlessclosed curve and the other located in the lateral holes in said topplate, the two multiplicities ofjoining members and the four series ofrods and the top plate together forming a curvilinear frame with theresilient rods lying on the surface of a spheroid whose largest crosssection lies between the first and second planes, and

an integument over the frame. 6. A dismantleable curvilinear shelter asclaimed in claim 5 in which the resilient member of the first and secondclosed curves are of substantially the same length and the first andsecond planes are separated by a distance approximating half thediameter of the endless closed curves so that all the resilient rods lieon the surface of a spheroid whose largest cross section liesapproximately half way between the first and second planes.

7. A dismantleable curvilinear shelter as claimed in claim 5 in whichthe integument has pockets at the base thereof so as to accommodate atleast a portion of the first multiplicity of joining members and therebyattach the integument securely to the frame.

8. A dismantleable curvilinear shelter as claimed in claim 5 in whichthe top plate has a hole therethrough of such a size as to accommodatefreely a Stovepipe, and in which the integument also has a correspondinghole therethrough.

a: i a: t:

1. A portable free-standing dismantleable curvilinear frame formed ofrectilinear components comprising: a multiplicity of initially straightresilient rods, a first multiplicity of joining members having cavities,the cavities and resilient rods being adapted so that two rods beforebending are collinear and another rod before bending is at right anglesto the two collinear rods, a second multiplicity of joining membershaving cavities, the cavities and resilient rods being adapted so thattwo rods, before bending are collinear and another two rods, beforebending are also collinear but at right angles to the first two rods,the first multiplicity of joining members and a first series of themultiplicity of resilient rods comprising two collinear rods being bentto form an endless closed curved approximating a circle in one plane,the second multiplicity of joining members and a second series of themultiplicity of resilient rods comprising two collinear rods being bentto form an endless closed curve approximating a circle in a secondplane, the planes of the first and second closed curves being spacedapart by a third series of resilient rods having ends engaging the firstand second series of joining members each resilient rod in the thirdseries having an outwardly bowed arcuate shape, and a fourth series ofrods being in a plurality of planes at right angles to said second planeand on the same side thereof and formed into a plurality of arcuatesections, the end of the arcuate sections terminating in the joiningmembers of the second series, so that all the resilient rods lie on thesurface of a spheroid whose largest cross section lies between the firstand second planes.
 2. A frame as claimed in claim 1 in which theresilient members of the first and second closed curves are ofsubstantially the same length, and the first and second planes areseparated by a distance approximating half the diameter of the endlessclosed curves so that all the resilient rods lie on the surface of aspheroid whose largest cross section lies approximately half way betweenthe first and second planes.
 3. A shelter comprising a frame as claimedin claim 1 and having an integument thereover.
 4. A shelter comprising aframe as claimed in claim 2 and having an integument thereover.
 5. Aportable free-standing dismantleable curvilinear shelter formed ofrectilinear components comprising: a multiplicity of initially straightresilient rods, a first multiplicity of joining members having cavities,the cavities and resilient rods being adapted so that two rods beforebending are collinear And another rod before bending is at right anglesto the two collinear rods, a second multiplicity of joining membershaving cavities, the cavities and resilient rods being adapted so thattwo rods, before bending are collinear and another two rods, beforebending are also collinear but at right angles to the first two rods,the first multiplicity of joining members and a first series of themultiplicity of resilient rods comprising two collinear rods being bentto form an endless closed curve approximating a circle in one plane, thesecond multiplicity of joining members and a second series of themultiplicity of resilient rods comprising two collinear rods being bentto form an endless closed curve approximating a circle in a secondplane, the planes of the first and second closed curves being spacedapart by a third series of resilient rods having ends engaging the firstand second series of joining members, each resilient rod in the thirdseries having an outwardly bowed arcuate shape, a top plate memberhaving appreciable thickness and a series of lateral holes accommodatedin the thickness, a fourth series of resilient rods each formed into anarcuate section and having one end located at the joining member of thesecond endless closed curve and the other located in the lateral holesin said top plate, the two multiplicities of joining members and thefour series of rods and the top plate together forming a curvilinearframe with the resilient rods lying on the surface of a spheroid whoselargest cross section lies between the first and second planes, and anintegument over the frame.
 6. A dismantleable curvilinear shelter asclaimed in claim 5 in which the resilient member of the first and secondclosed curves are of substantially the same length and the first andsecond planes are separated by a distance approximating half thediameter of the endless closed curves so that all the resilient rods lieon the surface of a spheroid whose largest cross section liesapproximately half way between the first and second planes.
 7. Adismantleable curvilinear shelter as claimed in claim 5 in which theintegument has pockets at the base thereof so as to accommodate at leasta portion of the first multiplicity of joining members and therebyattach the integument securely to the frame.
 8. A dismantleablecurvilinear shelter as claimed in claim 5 in which the top plate has ahole therethrough of such a size as to accommodate freely a stovepipe,and in which the integument also has a corresponding hole therethrough.